The defending South-West Conference champion girls' and boys' golf squads, from Newtown High, again appear to be in headed toward being in contention for titles this spring. The girls are unbeaten and the boys' team was rolling along until one stroke in a setback to friendly rival Pomperaug of Southbury.

The Nighthawks shot a 163 to host Pomperaug's 162 on April 27. Ryan Patrick shot a 38, Josh Houle had a 40, David Brestovansky a 42, Michael Meyer a 43, and Colin Patrick a 44.

"We're disappointed with the result but give credit to Pomperaug," said Newtown Coach Bob Pattison, whose team dethroned Pomperaug to win last year's conference crown. "We're looking forward to getting a rematch with them."

The Nighthawks won't have to wait too long, and they'll have home-course advantage - at Rock Ridge Country Club - when they are scheduled to meet next: Monday, May 23, beginning at 3 pm.

Pattison said after the match that he was looking forward to seeing how his team performs against some of the tougher competition in the SWC during the second half of the season.

Tough teams include Masuk of Monroe and Joel Barlow of Redding, both of which Newtown will have faced twice by season's end, along with Weston. The first meeting with Masuk took place on the road on May 3, and Masuk shot a 168 to defeat Newtown, which recorded a 181.

Houle shot a 43, Brestovansky had a 45, Colin Patrick had a 48, Meyer a 45, Ryan Patrick a 51, and Mike Macchiarulo a 55 in the match with Masuk.

"The competition in the league is pretty strong among some of the top teams," said Pattison, whose squad will get another chance to defeat Masuk on May 18 when the Panthers visit Rock Ridge Country Club.

Pattison has been especially impressed with the play of Houle, the way Meyer has improved since last year, and Brestovansky, who is a freshman and broke into the starting group out of the gate.

Newtown earned a 160-212 win over visiting New Fairfield on May 2. Houle shot a 36, Colin Patrick had a 40, Meyer and Brestovansky both had a 42, Ryan Kost shot a 45, and Ryan Patrick shot a 46.

The Hawks improved to 6-2 with a 162-192 win over visiting Bunnell of Stratford on May 4. Houle shot a 37, Colin Patrick had a 40, Brestovansky shot a 42, Meyer a 43, Tom Davis a 44, and Ryan Kost a 48.

The NHS girls' squad shot a 186 to Barlow's 220 in an April 27 match. Sarah Houle shot a 39, Casey Muckell had a 44, Liz Weisgerber a 47, and Kira Kelly a 56. The Nighthawks beat host Brookfield 190-216 the next day as Houle shot a 41, Weisgerber had a 44, and Hannah Logan and Muckell recorded a 51 and 54, respectively.

Newtown carries a 7-0 mark into a Monday, May 9 visit from Masuk of Monroe.